Big Bird Remains Union

I’m pleased to announce there is a new agreement with Sesame Workshop.

Earlier this year, Sesame Workshop announced a partnership with HBO bringing first-run episodes of Sesame Street exclusively to HBO for the next five years. After nine months of appearing only on HBO, shows will then air on PBS.

This new HBO deal caused some trepidation as negotiations began. For some years, musicians navigated relations with the non-profit Sesame Workshop rather than a huge multinational media conglomerate.

We remained steadfast throughout negotiations and reached a better contract than we ever have. The nine-member Sesame Street band will see increases in wages, healthcare contributions and pension contributions.